a miracle in our midst

For those of you who don't know the story, our little nephew, Mercer, suffered a stroke in utero and was born with severe brain damage. After his birth he experienced periods of apnea and seizures, which led to his being transported to a NICU. The doctors did several MRIs and, after seeing the damage that his brain sustained, gave the opinion that Mercer would likely have Cerebral Palsy as well as other developmental problems. His doctors thought that he would probably never walk and would certainly have trouble with his speech and basic motor skills.

Of course, we were all devastated and grieved with Jared and Raegan over this bleak future that had been laid out for their son. After we heard the news, we did the only thing that we could do and started praying. God is faithful and heard our prayers for this little boy.

The news kept getting worse for awhile, but then it started looking up.

Every time the doctors saw Mercer he looked a little better. Before long he was able to go off of the anti-seizure medication. Praise God!

After that he was able to eat at the same rate as his twin brother, Alden. Yea!

There were a team of therapists who came to work with him. They were constantly surprised and impressed with how well he was doing. Throughout all of these months we kept praying for God's healing in him -- we saw it happening!

Before we knew it he was sitting up, then crawling, and now walking!

Who ever thought that a toddler getting into everything would cause such joy?

Just last week, Mercer had his 1 year appointment with his Neurologist at Boston Children's Hospital. The doctor was blown away by how well Mercer is doing! He doesn't see any signs of CP and thinks that Mercer will lead a normal life.

Mercer is a miracle and his health is a testament to God's faithful grace and love for us.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him all creatures here below.

Praise Him above you heavenly hosts.

Praise Father, Son, & Holy Ghost.

Amen.